‘There never was a problem’: India’s High Commissioner to Canada on foreign interference
BNN Bloomberg
As some Sikh Canadians, intelligence community members and Liberal MPs push back on the government official’s claim that India is no longer actively carrying out foreign interference, India’s High Commissioner to Canada insists it was “never” a problem in the first place.
“It never happened,” Dinesh K. Patnaik told journalists about accusations of foreign interference multiple times on the sidelines of a Canadian government announcement in Mumbai, India on Saturday.
Patnaik was being asked about comments made by Canadian government officials ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s trip to India, suggesting India was no longer actively involved in foreign interference of transnational repression.
The comment marked a shift from a recent CSIS report that declared India to be one of the “main perpetrators” of foreign interference and espionage. The RCMP and former prime minister Justin Trudeau linked the Indian government to the murder of Canadian Sikh activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023.
“It’s not a question of ‘it is no longer happening.’ It never happened,” said Patnaik. “It’s a problem Canada has to resolve itself. We are there to help you.”
Patnaik pointed to recent meetings between Canada and India’s national security and intelligence advisors, saying they were able to “clear up a lot of the things that were perceived before.”
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Prime Minister Mark Carney is again heading overseas, this time to Norway to observe NATO Cold Response exercises as Canada deepens ties with Nordic countries.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Sunday the date for three upcoming byelections.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney has landed in Japan on the final stop of a 10-day trip that also included Australia and India.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has landed in Japan on the final stop of a 10-day trip that also included Australia and India.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has landed in Japan on the final stop of a 10-day trip that also included Australia and India.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has landed in Japan on the final stop of a 10-day trip that also included Australia and India.
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